Chuck vs Lil Bo Peep
by malamoo
Summary: A Then and Now offshoot. The old gang gets more than they bargained for when they agree to some pretty ordinary tasks. Oh, and Charlotte debuts in the preschool production of Lil Bo Peep. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck but the baby is all mine! No sharing! _

_Synopsis: A Then and Now offshoot. The old gang gets more than they bargained for when they agree to some pretty ordinary tasks. Oh, and Charlotte debuts in the preschool production of Lil Bo Peep. _

_A/N: The last chapter of Second Chance was a little heavy so I figured I would fluff things out a little. Special thanks to **Agent Chuck** and **mxpw** for their inspired love of a certain curly-haired toddler. This one is for you guys. =)_

_

* * *

_**Chapter 1:**

"Are you sure about this?"

Sarah looked at him again, determined to get an honest answer. He's obscured himself with a pair of Aviators and a wide-rimmed baseball cap however and what little of his profile she could see wasn't very telling.

"Seems simple enough," he said, giving nothing away. No frown, no smile, nothing. An expression like an empty slate.

"It won't be like anything you're used to," she warned. Sarah's learned that one the hard way. This would be unlike anything he's ever been trained for.

"I can adapt."

"In two days?" Sarah was skeptical. Perhaps this was a mistake. It wasn't too late to back out.

"Seems simple enough." The man crossed his arms and it seemed his patience was wearing thin with each doubt she placed on him.

"I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into," she finally said. What she'd been hinting to all along.

Her old partner's seen his share of action, gotten himself out of more than one tight fix...but this?

"Walker, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't trust me." He turned and stared her down with those impenetrable sunglasses.

Sarah wasn't in the least intimidated. "Don't be ridiculous," she dismissed, staring into the nothingness. Somewhere behind the shaded piece she knew he was staring back with the same kind of intensity. "John Casey, I trust you with my life. I'm just giving you one last chance to back out."

That settled it. Casey turned and continued to stare at the door they'd been standing in front of for the last fifteen minutes.

"I'm not afraid of anything," Casey said with a grunt.

Sarah smirked. He really had no idea..."Fine, suit yourself."

Suddenly the bell rings and the others gathered around the entrance-way stir out of their daze and look up from their PDA's. Casey looks around with a disgruntled look on his face, though to the untrained eye, it didn't appear all that different from his usual expression.

"You know, next time you come you should dress a little more casual..." Sarah suggested. The man was dressed all in black and it had a morbid, imposing effect on the other parents. "This is a preschool, not a funeral home."

Casey mumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms, looking even more displeased than before, if that was at all possible.

Suddenly the doors burst open and the noisy chatter from within begin to spill out into the hall.

"Chuck's preschool is doing a play about Lil Bo Peep," Sarah said, raising her voice to be heard.

"Oh, is she going to be Lil Bo Peep then?" the man said, automatically assuming Charlotte for the lead.

"No, she's going to be one of the lambs."

Casey grunted, obviously displeased. "How many lambs are there in Lil Bo Peep?"

Sarah shrugged. She wasn't that well versed in nursery rhymes though for her daughter's sake, she knew she'd better brush up on them.

"A dozen?" she guessed.

Casey grunted again, the same displeased tone as before. "Who's going to be the lead?"

"One of the taller blond kids." Sarah paused and thought back to the old nursery rhyme. "Lil Bo Peep was blond, right?"

A low growl emanated from around Casey's vicinity. If the other parents were not alarmed, they were now. As if sensing something imminent and terrible, one by one the adults snatched their children and got out of the way.

"We've been told to provide the costumes ourselves," Sarah added. She crossed her arms, joining her old partner in displeasure. Casey gave a stifled chuckle. "I don't have time for this; I'll have to pick something up in Chicago."

"I wouldn't act so fast..." the man warned cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

Casey shrugged, smiling for the first time all afternoon. "I mean accidents happen."

Sarah stared at him in disbelief. When she realized the man was serious, her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "John Casey, these are _preschoolers_," she hissed in horror.

Casey arched his brows but the expression was barely noticeable behind his oversized sunglasses. "Don't tell me you didn't think about it."

Sarah swallowed her accusations. She turned her head towards the door of the playroom and saw her daughter bounding towards them with her knapsack and stuffed bunny. One glimpse of that beautiful smile and she knew she'd be lying if she denied the sinister thought.

"You're not allowed to tell Chuck," she warned and that was as close to a confession as Casey would ever get.

"Momma!" Charlotte hollered, her voice brimming with excitement. Her hair stuck out in two whimsical pigtails (_Pigtails for my piglet,_ Chuck always said) that swung from side to side in perfect rhythm to the little girl's uneven toddler's gait.

Suddenly she sees the giant of a man dressed all in black beside her mother and she stops dead in her tracks. Those dark blue eyes widen and that little mouth drops in surprise.

Sarah holds her breath and for a second she's afraid the little girl will sense something amiss.

Then Charlotte's face breaks out into an infectious grin. "Uwn-cle Casey!" she hollers, charging towards him.

Casey takes off his cap and removes his sunglasses; switching into another person altogether—a person Sarah wasn't sure she was all that acquainted with.

"Hi Tigger!" he greets, bending down one knee.

Charlotte stops short in front of him, a perplexed look fixed on her otherwise perfect brows. "Not Tigger," she corrects. "I'm Piglet!"

Sarah stifled a laugh. Like most things, Casey couldn't see eye to eye with Chuck. If her father called her Piglet, then Casey would be damned if he had to follow in his former asset's footsteps.

Casey scooped the little girl up in a great big bear hug, his arms threatening to swallow her in the embrace. Bystanders may have been concerned for her safety, but Charlotte wasn't in the least. She giggled, absolutely delighted.

"No, no," Casey coaxed. "All the best little girls want to be Tigger."

Charlotte arched one brow, lending an expression Sarah had often seen when she looked in the mirror. The resemblance was truly uncanny.

"No. I'm Piglet," she reiterated. Sarah knew that tone. They could be at it all day but Charlotte wasn't going to be the first to back down.

Casey seemed to sense this as well because he hugged her tight, almost as a means to silence her.

"God," he muttered, shaking his head. "She's as stubborn as her mother."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Charlotte's asleep; her limbs splayed out like a starfish with her blanket rolled into a ball and pushed off to the side. Her hair is mussed; half the curls wild and standing on end and the other matted and pressed flat against the side of her skull. Every so often, her tiny little mouth purses together, almost as if she were suckling in her dreams.

It's the sweetest sight Sarah has ever known.

Stroking her babe's chubby cheeks, she has to fight against the urge to simply scoop her up and carry her off. It's only for a weekend but already Sarah wishes she didn't have to go.

Behind her, the nursery door creaks open.

"Hey..." Chuck whispers, looking over her shoulder. They both peer into the crib, mesmerized by the sleeping babe.

Chuck nuzzles her neck, tickling her with his stubble. "We've got a cab to catch," he reminds. Then, taking an extra moment to gaze at their daughter, turns to her in question.

"Are you sure Casey is a good choice for a babysitter?"

Sarah arches her brows; as if he even needed to ask. "Better than Morgan so yes."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "That was _one_ time," he reminds.

"And one time is plenty," Sarah replied. "There was grape soda in her baby bottle. Her _baby bottle_, Chuck!" she hissed. Even now the cavalier way that man-child approached parenting frightened her. "He gave her enough grape soda to rot all her baby teeth!"

"It was two cans _at most_," Chuck whispered back, loyal even to the very end. "Most of it spilled onto her shirt anyway."

Sarah's eyes widened. "Don't remind me!" she blurted. She looked back down at their sleeping angel, as if she still couldn't believe Charlotte had somehow left the Grimes residence unscathed. "She was in nothing but her diaper when we picked her up. Her _diaper_," Sarah stressed. "No socks, no shirt, nothing!"

Chuck scratched his head, running out of defenses for his best friend. "There was a spill on the shirt!" he said weakly. "Morgan couldn't find the spare ones you left in the diaper bag."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Yes, and that's why she's made sure Casey knew _exactly_ where everything was. There was to be no excuses this time.

"Well, Morgan can't be the babysitter this time even if you begged—"

"I would never—"

Chuck cuts her off before she can finish the sentence. "He's so psyched about the sneak peeks and the demos he wouldn't do it even if _I_ asked," he says, emphasizing his point.

Sarah grinned. "And you're not?" she challenged, wrapping her arms around him.

Chuck couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. "I'm sure that has _nothing_ to do with why you've decided to tag along," he said, raising his brows at her.

"I have no idea what you mean..." she murmured, continuing to play innocent. But it was apparent that Chuck knew far more about her ulterior agenda than she gave him credit for.

"Yeah...we all know how much you _love_ these things," he teased, whispering the words into her ear.

Sarah's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well..." She paused, waiting to capture his full attention. "I love _you_."

The stunned look on her husband's face was evidence that he had fallen for it; hook, line and sinker. Sarah grinned. Even after all these years...she still had it.

Chuck nipped her on the ear and began to tease her with tiny kisses against the jaw, eliciting a fit of ticklish giggles.

"Hey! Do you guys mind?"

The couple broke apart at the sound of a voice rougher than the jagged end of a saw.

"I just had dinner!" Casey growled, walking into the room.

Chuck doesn't know why but being lectured by Casey always made him feel like he was eight years old again. They were adults and they were married and yet none of that mattered when he was faced with the deathly glare of a man who could break him in half.

Sarah was unaffected by the gruff intrusion. Turning back to the crib, she leaned down and gave her daughter a parting kiss on the forehead.

"Have fun with Uncle Casey," she whispered, readjusting the blanket to cover the babe's rounded belly. "Try not to abuse him too badly, okay?

Charlotte made a soft whimpering sound with her nose but aside from that, continued to sleep oblivious to the world.

Catching Casey's suspicious look on the way out, Sarah just laughed. The man had no idea what was in store for him.


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: _the contents of this chapter has been charah-approved by **mxpw**. thx. _

**Chapter 3: **

Sarah opened her eyes to the soft glow of a new morning. They were in a strange bed in a strange new city but at least one thing was for sure. Snuggling up against Chuck's torso for warmth, she felt like a cat with a belly full of warm cream. She would have _purr_ed had she the ability.

Now...if only she knew how to sleep in. There was nothing pressing for her to do but old habits were hard to break and she was so accustomed to listening for the mews of their perpetual early riser that she simply couldn't enjoy this hard-earned peace.

A dull ache entered her chest as she realized she wouldn't be getting a call this morning. And as much as she enjoyed lying in this warm bed, she craved the soft touch and sloppy kisses of a toddler infinitely more.

Chuck stirred, his arms shifting to envelop her completely and bring her closer against him. It helped ease her homesickness and without even being aware of the change, she twisted her body around so that they lay in each other's arms; it was a perfect fit.

"Are you watching me sleep again?" Chuck asked drowsily, with eyes still closed.

Sarah giggled and nuzzled him against the neck.

"I can barely keep up with you so don't worry, I'm too exhausted to stray."

It was the wrong thing to say. Sarah grabbed the pillow from under her and threw it on top of him, threatening to beat him silly.

Chuck laughed despite the threat of sudden death. "Sarah! Sarah!" he cried, gasping for air. "I was kidding!"

Sarah straddled him. Even if he wanted to run, he had nowhere to go.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that..." she whispered, slowly and with just the tiniest hint of a threat mixed in. She pressed her face right up against his, breathing softly on his face like a dragon about to spew fire at the slightest provocation.

"Sarah," Chuck murmured, trying to catch his breath. "Sarah..." he uttered, raking his hand through her long tendrils of honey-blond hair. "I'm crazy about you and I'd be crazy to love another. You know that."

Sarah reveled in his touch, wishing his long fingers would roam across all the other parts of her body. Her husband could be such a tease sometimes.

"Good," she said, dipping down to capture his mouth. They haven't had a morning like this in a long time. Chuck's fingers roamed south, slipping under the thin night-gown she had on. Her body was so attuned to his touch that every molecule seemed charged at the promise of a long sought-after connection.

All of a sudden Chuck sat up; flipping her flat on her back. He rolled on top of her, pinning her underneath him and growled. Sarah burst into a fit of giggles; it never ceased to endear to her when her husband tried to play the aggressor.

He was the single most kindest, gentlest person she knew. It would be like imagining a bunny with a pair of fangs.

And she loved him for it.

Sarah sighed. Everything just felt so perfect. She wondered why she'd wasted so many years of her life denying herself this absolute pleasure. She had the perfect husband, the most adorable baby—

"Chuck?" she whispered, inbetween kisses.

"Hmm?" he murmured, clearly preoccupied.

Sarah gazed up at him, making sure he was listening. "Do you ever think about more?"

Chuck wrinkled his brows but she knew he understood her meaning. "More shrimp cocktail?" he teased. "Yeah, sure. The buffet last night was pretty good."

Sarah rolled her eyes. She pushed her husband off and rolled onto her side with her back to him. "Never mind then," she drawled, purposely lowering her voice.

Not one to give up easily, Chuck was quick to remedy the situation. He grabs her by the shoulder and rolls her over to face him. "Another?" he asks, his voice now completely serious. He looked surprised she'd even asked.

Sarah stroked the side of his face, capturing the resemblance she so often saw in their little girl. "I know," she murmured. "I don't think I have enough room in my heart for all the love as it is. We shouldn't tempt fate, should we?" Sarah kissed him gently, resigned to the idea that it would just be the three of them. "It wouldn't be very prudent."

Chuck laughed as he kissed her back, his eyes filled with daring.

"Since when have we ever erred on the side of caution?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **

The microwave _beeps _and Casey retrieves the heated glass container from within its metal interior. Carefully he pours the contents into a sippy-cup and presents it with flourish on the high-chair tray.

"Okay, Tigger, breakfast is served," he announced.

Charlotte looked down at the meager offering, then back at the supposed cook. She looked back down again and wrinkled her brows, prodding the sippy-cup as if it were some strange, foreign object.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked. "Do you want it in a bottle?"

Sarah had given him very specific instructions though and he was afraid what consequences would befall him should he deviate even the slightest from the plan.

Charlotte shook her head but she refused to touch the brightly colored plastic container. Her forehead was knotted with displeasure and she shook her head as if to say: _No. This won't do. _

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Charlotte pointed accusingly with her pudgy finger. "That's Daddy's..."

Casey looked at the milk carton he'd just pulled out. He was pretty sure Sarah had specified that Charlotte had a glass of milk in the morning...or was that Chuck? He had no idea why she called her husband and her daughter by the same name.

That was just stupid.

Then again, she was so stupidly in love there was no reasoning with her.

"Okay, Tigger, which one is yours."

Charlotte pouted for a brief second, still insistent that she was in fact not a Tigger but a Piglet.

"The other," she announced.

It was a vague answer but Casey expected no more and no less from a toddler. He went back to the fridge and pulled it open, scanning the shelves. There was indeed another carton of milk beside the one he'd just pulled.

Casey retrieved it and read the label. "Chocolate milk..."

Charlotte's face exploded into a giant grin and she clapped her hands together, as if congratulating the decorated colonel for his ability to read.

Casey grinned sheepishly. "Yeah? This the one?"

"Yeah!" Charlotte declared and pushed the sippy-cup towards him.

"You sure?" Casey asked, trying to recall the exact conversation he had with Sarah. The woman had gone over so much that it was hard to keep track of what Charlotte could and could not do. Damn that woman was neurotic.

Then again, the kid was ridiculously precious. If it were his kid, he'd be a little anxious about her too.

"Yeah!" Charlotte repeated, drool beginning to dribble out from her mouth. She banged her palm against the high-table tray, demanding to be served immediately. "Yeah!"

"Okay!" Casey chugged the contents in the plastic cup and poured chocolate milk to the brim. "There you go, Tigger!"

Charlotte ignored the incorrect title as she latched onto the handles of the cup and began to drink with fervor. If anyone were to witness the scene, they'd report Casey for depriving a child for so long.

Even though the lid was intended to lessen spills, streaks of chocolate milk were already starting to dribble down her chin. Within seconds the entire front of Charlotte's onesie was covered in a large chocolate stain. The babe hadn't been awake for longer than thirty minutes and already Casey had to change her into another set of clothes.

And just when he thought there was no way a babe could drink so fast, Charlotte coughed, spewing the brown liquid all over the plastic tray.

The colonel had seen his share of unpleasantness but there was nothing quite like the sight of chocolate milk bubbling out of someone's nose. Charlotte looked at him, then at the empty sippy-cup, dismayed.

"Whoa, slow down there, you can have more you know..." Casey said, patting the little girl's back gently.

"More?" Charlotte exclaimed, a look of wonder and disbelief in her eyes. "Wee-ally more?" she asked, tripping over the difficult pronunciation.

Casey laughed. "Of course!" He shook the container in his hand, making the liquid slosh against the walls. "You can have as much as you want."

Charlotte's blue eyes widened to the size of little saucers. "Wee-ally?" she squealed, a look of absolute delight in her eyes.

Casey ruffled her messy brown curls. "Really," he confirmed and poured her another cup.

* * *

_A/N: As you know, I'm writing two stories simultaneously. It can get tiresome sometimes...so i've decided to take a break....for an update of Bo Peep, leave a sentence incorporating the word: **Chocolate Milk.** For an update of Second Chance the prompt is: **Fluffy Bunnies. **Chocolate Milk and Bunnies do not mix (it makes them sick) so no voting for both. Bonus points for the review with the most subtlely incorporated prompt. 10 participants = post Monday; 15 = Sunday; 20 = Sat...and on and on...  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: To show my appreciation for playing along, I've made this post 3x the size of the last one. How's that for size? _

_The final count was 10 for Bo Peep and 7 for Second Chance; and 6 people poisoned innocent fluffy bunnies by mixing them with chocolate milk so i couldn't count their votes. That just wouldn't be right. _

**Chapter 5: **_  
_

"Tigger?" Casey called as he walked back into the living room. His heart lurched when he realized the little girl was visibly absent from the playtable where he'd just left her.

"Tigger?"

No response.

The only hint that a toddler had ever passed through were the few abandoned markers and torn pieces of construction paper strewn over the plastic furniture.

_Oh....this is not good. _

Scratch that; this was a nightmare. Casey felt ready to tear out his hair. He had only left the toddler unsupervised for a few minutes—three tops, to use the washroom.

How could someone have gotten into the house?

How could he have missed the screams?

And worst of all...how was he going to answer to the toddler's mother?

"Charlotte!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly he heard a noise from just around the corner. A single green marker came rolling out of the kitchen, stopping short at the carpet of the living room floor.

Charging at full speed, Casey ran into the kitchen only to find Charlotte standing in the hall, safe and sound.

"Hello!" she greeted, gifting him with a innocent smile. Clutching several uncapped markers in one pudgy hand, she had the other pressed firmly against the wall.

Casey sank to the floor. "Oh thank God!" he declared. It didn't matter that she had streaks of color running all the way up her arm or that her little white onesie was covered in brilliant blotches.

"Oh thank God! Don't do that to me!" He hugged her tight just to make sure she was really-truly-real, eliciting a fit of giggles from the little girl.

"Look!" She pointed excitedly to the wall. "Like it?"

Casey turned his head to the wall and choked.

For a long time, he had no answer for her. He was aghast at what she'd been able to accomplish in a short span of time. Someday she may very well give the painters a run for their money.

Finally he said: "It's really nice, Charlotte," and left it at that.

Charlotte beamed at the compliment, looking terribly pleased with herself. She patted the man's pant pocket, where he frequently kept his phone.

"Show Momma?"

Casey laughed nervously. "Maybe later," he said, coaxing her to give up her remaining markers.

"No!" she insisted, pointing to her handiwork again. "Now!"

Casey scooped her up and held her under one arm, using the other to drag a large potted plant over to cover up the freshly scribbled masterpiece.

"Are you hungry, Tigger? How about some lunch?"

Charlotte's ears perked. "Lunch and then call Momma?"

Casey laughed nervously again. "Sure, let's eat lunch," he agreed, purposefully ignoring the latter part of her suggestion.

What Sarah didn't know wouldn't kill her but what she did may very well shorten Casey's own lifespan.

* * *

"Okay! Here comes lunch!" Casey announced as he deposited the toddler into the high-chair and snapped on a clean bib. He had no idea where the time had gone. It was only noon and he had already changed Charlotte into three new sets of clothes. One for the chocolate milk, one for a popsicle spill, and most recently for the marker mishap. At this rate, he was afraid he would run out of clothes before her parents returned—and Sarah had warned him that under _no_ circumstance was Charlotte allowed to go around in just her diaper.

"Lunch!" Charlotte mimed, grabbing her miniature spoon and fork at the ready. Casey had already seen the child's hand and eye coordination when they tried coloring some pages together and he was concerned.

"How about just the spoon?" Casey coaxed, removing the pronged utensil from her hand. "Forks are overrated."

Charlotte looked perplexed and she gripped onto the spoon with even greater attention, afraid he would take everything away from her.

"Trust me, Tigger, you'll thank me later."

Charlotte looked like she would do no such thing. She eyed her missing fork with as much melancholy as if he had just taken away a beloved toy.

"Okay. Mommy said lunch was in the cupboard." Casey walked over to the cabinets and pulled open the third one left of the sink. Inside were row upon row of baby food jars.

Casey grunted. It looked like Sarah had emptied out the entire baby food section at the grocer's. He grabbed the first jar and read the label. "Chicken and rice." He turned to Charlotte. "You like chicken and rice, Tigger?"

Charlotte made no response. Casey did some further searching but the other flavours weren't half as appealing. Peaches and bananas, pickled prunes, avocado and celery...

"Oh my God..." Casey muttered as he grabbed two jars of the only _edible_ item off the lunch menu. "Hope you like chicken and rice!"

Charlotte looked at him with wide innocent eyes, and then went back to studying her reflection in the spoon. With care, Casey unscrewed the jar and poured out the contents into the babe's bowl. The contents flowed out in a homogenous slush, making a wet _slosh_ noise as it hit the bottom of the tray.

Charlotte wrinkled her nose and leaned as far back as her high-chair would allow.

For himself, Casey grabbed the container of leftover spaghetti he'd seen earlier in the fridge and heated it up in the microwave. As the scent of the pasta wafted to his nose, he knew with only a thin margin for miracles and the like, that Sarah hadn't been the one to make it.

Which meant it was safe to eat.

Bringing his bowl to the dining table, Casey sat down beside the little girl.

"Eat your food, Tigger," the man reminded, pushing the bowl of pale yellow slop closer towards her. Charlotte recoiled and instead leaned over the chair, looking at Casey's offering with interest.

Her little nostrils flared as she took in the scent of the spaghetti and drool began to gush from the corner of her mouth.

"I'm Piglet," she insisted, then looked at him with those shrewd baby blue's. "And that's Daddy's!"

Casey grunted. "Well Daddy's not here," he reminds, and begins to wrap his fork around the pasta.

_Ergo, it's mine._

Charlotte's lips quivered and she looked at him, the blue of her eyes deep like the ocean.

Only when the brightness began to intensify did Casey realize they were reflecting unshed tears. Charlotte began to pant, her lips began to tremble and then she took a deep breath—

"Mommy and Daddy are coming home tomorrow, okay?" Casey blurted, dropping his fork. "Don't cry, Tigger!" he begged. He'd never had to deal with a screaming child before and he didn't want to start.

"No!" Charlotte shrieked, shaking her head. "No!" Hot tears began to pour down her cheeks and she was so red-faced she looked as if she were in pain.

Casey jumped out of his seat, paralyzed by the predicament he found himself in. If he called Sarah for help, she'd demand to know why Charlotte was crying and make his ears ring. But if Charlotte didn't stop crying, the neighbours would call the police and his ears would ring anyway.

"Charlotte!" he begged. "Ch—ch—" Casey really didn't want to use that silly nickname. "_Chuck_," he said, trying to mimic Sarah's tone.

Nothing seemed to help.

"No!" Charlotte wailed, banging her tiny ineffectual fists against the plastic tray. She pointed to his bowl of spaghetti and began to cry again.

"Hey! Here. I won't eat Daddy's spaghetti, okay? Okay?" Casey grabbed the bowl and pushed it all the way over to her side of the table. "Hey, see? See? Uncle Casey isn't going to eat any of it. It's all Daddy's..." he soothed. "And Mommy and Daddy will be back very soon so there's nothing to cry about."

Charlotte stopped her wails and sniffed; a combination of snot, tears and drool trickling down her chin. Casey held his breath in anticipation as she studied the plate pushed in front of her. Hopefully it would be enough.

"Lunch?" she asked and pushed her bowl towards him. Casey didn't quite understand her meaning until he realized it was an exchange.

"You want me to eat this?"

Charlotte gave him a shy smile and when she laughed, nose bubbles began to spurt out in a healthy stream.

Casey looked down at the baby food concoction again. It looked terrible, but if that was the only way to make it up to a crying babe...

Sitting down again, Casey grabbed Charlotte's baby spoon and took a bite. It was like eating applesauce only there was supposed to be chicken and rice. He couldn't taste anything except the grit of what must be ground up chicken parts and grains.

Casey made a face. He had to tell Sarah to stop feeding Charlotte this crap.

_What are you going to say when she asks you how you know? _

Casey stopped short and looked carefully at himself. Here he was eating baby food—from a baby spoon no less.

_God_, this was so humiliating.

Charlotte watched him with a giant smile. She leaned over her tray and dipped her hand into the warm spaghetti, dragging out a long string of spaghetti noodle. Tugging it all the way over her high-chair tray, she stuck it into her mouth like a straw and began to chew with an extremely pleased expression on her face.

Casey studied her carefully. "Hey..." he said, as if finally catching on. "I'm on to you—"

Charlotte spat out the noodle and her lips began to quiver again. Those deep blue eyes, already watershed, looked ready for another downpour and her cheeks were already starting to flush.

"No! No, you like the spaghetti?" Casey cajoled. He fished out Charlotte's forbidden fork and twisted it around the noodles. It was meant for the dexterity of a child (read: none) and no matter how hard Casey tried, he couldn't get it to work.

"Damn it," he cursed, nearly bending the object in half.

Charlotte looked at him with intrigue. Sarah had specifically warned him _not_ to swear.

"Here, Charlotte, don't cry..." Throwing the fork aside, he grabbed a string of spaghetti. "And don't tell Mommy what I said either!" he pleaded.

Charlotte grinned and tilted her head back like a baby bird about to get her worm. She opened her mouth and let Casey drop the noodle in as if this was all old hat and she'd done it a hundred times before.

Charlotte grinned, the noodle dangling from the corner of her mouth as she reached to grab another. There was spaghetti sauce everywhere.

Casey resigned himself to the fact he would have to change her into a fresh set of clothes again. Sitting back down, he pushed the baby food around as he watched Charlotte wrestle with a handful of noodles.

"Damned it!" she exclaimed, just as the slippery pasta slid right out of her hand.

Casey paled. He remembered Sarah telling him toddlers were very good mimics.

And was this little girl not the best of them?

"Oh crap..." Casey muttered. Sarah was going to kill him.

Charlotte's ears perked up. "Cwap?" she barked, unsure how to get around the case of the pesky letter 'r'. "What's cwap?"


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I was under the advisement of **mxpw** to post this to offset the other fic. I wasn't convinced you guys needed it, but you can prove me wrong. _

**Chapter 6: **_  
_

"Having fun?" Sarah asked as she sidled up against Carol, the mischief painted by her dancing eyes and eager smile.

"Well, I don't really get the _reason_ for all this excitement but it is exciting just to be a part of it," her friend replied. Taking a sip of her drink, she looked perplexed. "Why don't we ever get to go to conventions like these again?"

"Because it's not a game when we do it," Sarah teased. Looking over her friend's shoulder, she spies her husband and his best friend chatting animatedly with a group of men in suits.

"So...this your first time?" Carol asked.

Sarah shrugs. "No, but I'm afraid I still don't quite understand all the excitement even after all these years." They shared a laugh. For once Sarah didn't feel quite so alone at these events. No matter how much he refuted the fact, Chuck was still one of _them_ and now finally she had someone to share her point of view.

Checking her phone, she mused to herself why she hadn't received a call yet. "I wonder how Casey is doing with Chuck."

Carol looked surprised. "Oh, is John back in town?"

Sarah smirked. _John?_ she wanted to tease. They were on a first name basis after only one date?

"Just for a weekend. Why...interested?"

Carol stuck out her tongue, purposely turning her body away so she wouldn't have to face the annoying over-eager smile of her friend.

"Although Casey will probably never come back after he's babysat for us."

Carol smiled. "That's so sweet. I had no idea he liked kids."

Sarah agreed. She wasn't so sure about kids, but she knew he had a soft spot for Charlotte.

"Yeah, well we're all going out for dinner tomorrow night after we get back to LA. You should come—oh—" Sarah stopped when she realized her mistake but it was too late. She had no choice but to finish what she was going to say. "Unless this thing with Morgan—"

Carol shook her head. "It's not anything official. I'm just testing the waters." Taking a deep breath, Carol finished off her drink and grimaced. "It's been awhile since I've had to dive back into the dating pool."

Sarah could sympathize. The woman had been married to her ex for a long time, though they had been a lot more straightforward about their courtship than Sarah and Chuck. It had to be difficult breaking out of the comfortable stability and making your way alone into the world again.

Stepping on tip-toe, Sarah stole a glance at her husband. Somehow, despite all the distance that separated them and all the noise in the auditorium, Chuck knew to turn his head at the precise moment her eyes found him.

His smile instantly brightened and he gave her a subtle wave.

Carol rolled her eyes. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Sarah asked, truly innocent to the love-sick way she behaved sometimes.

Carol pointed in the direction of their respective dates. "How can you look at him as if you haven't seen him in years when you see him everyday?"

Sarah wrinkled her brows. "I don't," she said. "All I did was smile at him."

"No. You definitely did not just smile at him," she refuted. "It was _so_ much more."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Don't be disgusting, Carol," she said, a distinct blush growing on her cheeks.

Her friend just laughed. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed," she teased.

"I am not!" Sarah exclaimed though the blush was only growing redder. They were married for Heaven's sake and all she did was smile but somehow Carol made her feel as if she'd done something obscene.

"Sarah," Carol said as she wrapped her arm around her. "It's a _good_ thing," she emphasized. "You should take it as a compliment."

* * *

There was a presentation in the afternoon about something or other. Sarah wasn't especially fascinated with the topic, but it was the only excuse she had to sit down for a change. Carol and Morgan had slipped off for a late lunch together, and though there was plenty of room in the rental, Sarah didn't want to look _too_ interested in her friend's love-life.

And as usual at these type of events, Chuck was nowhere to be found.

So she had an hour or two to herself and nothing to do except perhaps stare at the blank screen ahead of her.

"Oh my God, Sarah Bartowski?"

Sarah looks up from her seat. As everyone mills around the auditorium preparing to find a spot, one person has stopped in the stream of bodies.

"Diane!" she greets, genuinely surprised to recognize someone at this function.

Diane turns and waves for the others to join them and soon Sarah is surrounded by somewhat familiar faces. They are all wives of Chuck's colleagues, and they are all generally as clueless about what their husbands did as Sarah. It was a perfect departure from all the techno-babble.

Though the alternative wasn't all that better.

"Sarah, it's been awhile. We haven't seen you around in a long time!"

"I know. Well, after the baby I just never found the time to travel."

Nor did she want to.

"Oh! Good for you! Do you have photos?"

Sarah obliged them with a couple from her wallet and everyone gathered around her to _ooh _and _ahh._ She had to agree with Ellie that the frilly white dress didn't look half as silly when it was actually _on_ the baby. And Charlotte, of course, knew how to ham it up for the camera.

She knew she was biased because she was Charlotte's mother, but she'd honestly never seen a baby more beautiful and adorable.

Sarah stared at the images, feeling her heart ache and her fingers itch to speed dial Casey for an update.

"They grow up so fast don't they?" one woman said. "Oh, you know I just paid five hundred dollars for my daughter's first ballet shoes. It's so precious. Here let me show you."

_Five hundred dollars? _Sarah tried not to look so surprised because none of the other wives were. And it wasn't like Chuck and her didn't have the money but still..._five hundred dollars?_

Sarah saw the photo and it changed her mind completely. It _was_ precious. And like most things for toddlers, completely and utterly impractical.

Sarah could see herself splurging on her own daughter. It wasn't rational, but love never was.

"Have you thought of ballet for Charlotte?" the same woman asked.

"Um...no, she's still at the stage where she falls if she runs too fast," Sarah explained. And Charlotte hated being told what to do so she couldn't imagine that a stranger ordering her child around would bode well.

"Oh, but you have to start them young!"

_Really? That young? _Their daughters were approximately the same age so it was a bit perplexing.

Again, Sarah tried not to look so doubtful. Everyone else seemed to think this was completely normal.

"You do! My daughter started piano lessons before she could reach the keys. You have to start them young if you want them to succeed."

_You do want Charlotte to succeed, don't you?_ was what they were really asking.

Sarah gulped. Of course she did. She wanted the world for her.

Before she became a mother, she thought this overwhelming parenting-babble would fade and she'd become another one in their fold when her turn came. Now Charlotte was here and she was still just as confused and flabbergasted by what she didn't know.

Well, at least she hasn't tried to sell her daughter for cash or leave her alone at home next to hazardous equipment. Then again, she did drop Charlotte off for an afternoon with her uncle Morgan...

"Charlotte's preschool is running a play and she's been cast as the lamb." She doesn't know how else to relate to them, but it's not exactly newsworthy material.

"Oh! Have you chosen the fabric?" someone asked.

"Huh?" Sarah turned to the speaker. "Why?"

"Well, I assume you're going to make it yourself."

Sarah broke out into a smile. "Why, are lamb costumes hard to find for toddlers?" And here she thought the makers of children's things had a fetish for farmyard creatures.

"Well, aren't you going to make it?" someone else asks, in a tone that suggests she ought to.

Sarah paled. She can do a lot of things that aren't appropriate for a _résumé_, but sewing was not one of them.

"Oh, I remember when I made my daughter's first costume. It was so precious. She was the ladybug..." Diane recalled.

"Oh! My daughter's first costume was an otter. You will not believe how hard it is to get the whiskers right—"

"Wait! Wait!" Sarah held up her hands. _Hold on here! _"You guys all _made_ the costumes yourselves?"

The wives looked at her as if she'd just asked to confirm that two plus two was indeed four.

"Well...yeah. Aren't you?"

* * *

Sarah walked over to her husband's side and looped her arm around his elbow, pressing herself close against him. It was a benign gesture and yet Chuck stopped in mid-sentence, struggling to remember what he meant to say to the man in front of him.

"Um...let's finish after um...the demonstration? Let me...uh...give you my business card."

The stranger looked at Sarah and seemed to understand Chuck's predicament.

"No problem, Mr. Bartowski, I'll give you a call," the man said with an envious smile.

Chuck laughed nervously as he turned to his wife.

"Phew...it's been one heck of a day, huh?" he asks, still all smiles when it came to her.

Sarah grinned and leaned forwards to kiss him sweetly on the cheek. "I'm officially ready to go home now," she whispers into his ear.

Chuck laughed. "Why? Sick of being alone with me already?"

Sarah grimaced. "Chuck's play is on Monday. I have to make a lamb costume by then and I haven't even started."

It was the oddest excuse Chuck had ever heard. "Why don't we just buy—"

"No, Chuck, I'm perfectly capable of doing this for my daughter," Sarah insisted, flaunting her excess of stubbornness.

Chuck paused for a moment, unsure what to make of all this. He looked positively mischievous when he leaned down by her ear. "You sew?" he whispered in shock.

Not about to admit her shortcomings, Sarah flushed with indignation.

"Well of course I sew," she informed.

Chuck shrugged. "Sorry, I guess I forgot about all the pillows and pincushions you've made for us at home."

Sarah pinched him and the man struggled not to break out in laughter or wince in pain. Keeping a straight face, he pulled his wife closer, hiding his laughter in her long, golden hair.

"You know, if I'm going to suffer, you're going to suffer with me," she reminds in his ear. "I'm not going to bed until that costume is finished."

For the first time, Chuck takes the predicament very seriously. He pulls a face. "Couldn't we just toss a pillow case over her head and call her the ghost of the lamb that was?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Chuck!" she scolded. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Then, after some time, she saw his point.

_You know, that's actually a pretty good idea._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: This doesn't really work in real life but the minority has spoken! Bo Peep returns!  
_

**Chapter 7:**_  
_

"You know it's really nice of you to do this for Chuck and Sarah," Ellie said. "But I could have taken Charlotte to the zoo and you could have had some rest."

Casey just shrugged.

"I like zoos," he said.

Ellie's eyes widened. "Really?"

No. Actually John Casey hated zoos. And children. And a lot of other things. But when he's got Charlotte's hand wrapped around his pinky finger and she's toddling beside him with popsicle juice running down her arm, everything becomes covered in sweetness and he can't bring himself to say it.

_Screw honesty._

"Yeah. I love zoos. And I love kids."

Casey smirked. Two lies for the price of one.

Ellie smiled slowly. She didn't look like she fully believed him, but the way he behaved around the little girl was pretty convincing.

"Well, perhaps we can call on you to babysit for us too the next time you're in town."

Casey shrugged. "Yeah? Why not."

He liked the Woodcomb boy, he was rambunctious and not afraid of anything; kind of the way he had been when he was a kid.

Suddenly the phone in Casey's pocket begins to vibrate. He checks the caller ID and the sight makes his stomach churn. "Sorry, I have to take this."

Ellie smiled in understanding. "No problem, we'll be in the Amphibian house. Do you want me to take Charlotte?"

"Uh, no. It's Sarah," Casey explained, waving the phone.

Ellie smiled and nodded. "Okay, see you soon!" She waved to the little girl and left, struggling to catch up with Will. The little boy was so excited to see the exhibit he was already charging down the path.

Casey put the phone to his ear. "Uh huh," he said after a moment. "Yeah, we're fine. We're at the zoo." Another pause. "I love the zoo."

Charlotte looked up at him, smiling through popsicle-stained lips. "Yeah, she had breakfast. And lunch. No, everything was fine."

"No, Walker, give me some credit. Of course I supervised her with the markers."

A great big grin spreads across Charlotte's face and Casey puts a finger to his lips before the toddler felt the inclination to turn him in. Charlotte shook her head, looking determined to report on her latest masterpiece.

"No, she's been nothing but an angel. Piece of cake."

Casey bent down and scooped her into his arms, carrying her as they walked down the path. He didn't mind the popsicle juice running down her chin and onto his shirt but the cold sensation was kind of ticklish.

"You don't believe me, Walker? Where's the trust?" Muffling the phone, he turns to Charlotte. "You gotta lick it faster, Tigger," he reminds as he hastily devoured her popsicle. Charlotte wasn't fast enough to keep the melted juice from spilling all over her hands and shirt but the way the little girl saw things, that was her problem and hers to deal with.

Charlotte began to whine, pouting at the treat now half-gone.

"Here, talk to Mommy. Tell her everything's okay." Casey pressed the phone to the little girl's ear and Charlotte's expression instantly brightened.

"Momma!" The toddler babbled some nonsensical syllables that couldn't possibly be words in any language and yet, when he got the phone back, it seemed Sarah understood everything.

"How many popsicles have you given her?"

Casey looked at the babe in his arms in disbelief. "How...how did you know—"

"How many, Casey?" Sarah repeated, completely to the point.

"Just five?" Casey guessed. He'd been letting the toddler keep track; she was the one eating them after all.

"What do you mean _just_ five?"

"She gets to have seven a day, that's what you've limited her to, right?"

There was a long pause. "Who told you that?"

Casey was tempted to say '_you did_' but he realized Sarah hadn't ever touched on the subject.

"Charlotte."

"Charlotte told you that," Sarah repeated for affirmation.

"Yeah, well they come in packs of seven. It's pretty easy to do the math. Why, can she have more?"

On the other end, Casey thought he could hear Sarah take a deep breath. "Oh my God, Casey!" she yelled, making him wince.

He doesn't fully understand until he sees Charlotte look at him with those big inquisitive eyes. When he looked back at her, she turned her head away in an uncharacteristically bashful fashion, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Oh my God..." he repeats. He'd been completely outmaneuvered by a toddler.

"Yeah. Congratulations Casey," she said though she didn't sound too surprised. "By the way...she gets to have _one_ a day if she's good, that's her limit. There's seven days in a week, genius."

Charlotte seemed to sense that she'd been found out. Timidly, she extended the popsicle in her hand towards the man.

"I'm full now," she informs with a self-satisfied grin.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: This is for **Agent Chuck** who threatened to quit SC. The rest of you better not get any ideas. _

**Chapter 8: **_  
_

"Jelly!" Charlotte squeals and points to the giant aquarium glass in front of them. In the dim room, the illuminated jelly-fish seemed to float across the dark liquid sky like colourful balloons.

"You like them, Tigger?" Casey asked. To be honest they creeped him out; the little pink sacks of who-knows-what just sitting there. Where were their eyes? Where were their mouths? Not to mention that one time he'd been stung by that damn Portuguese Man O'War.

_Oops. _He caught himself. No swearing. Not even in his head lest he let one slip. He had to be extra vigilant now if he was going to make sure Charlotte forgot what she'd been taught this morning.

"Go! Go!" she urged as she tugged on Casey's arm, eager to get to the glass and press her face right up against them. Casey released her hand and let the little girl with all her wild energy make a dash for it.

He loses sight of her for a second in the dark room as the figure obstructing his view brushes past him; one moment he doesn't see her and in the one after, she's flat on the ground, sobbing.

Casey runs forward and grabs the person closest to Charlotte, his hands dangerously close to the man's neck.

"Watch where you're going!" he snarls, and raises his fist, threatening to pummel the twerp into a pulp. "There's kids here!"

"Yeah? Well maybe you should watch yours!" the man retorts, pushing Casey off of him.

Casey growled and his hand itched for the concealed firearm but the whimpering got to him first. Letting the useless bag of meat go, he bends down and scoops Charlotte into his arms. She's as light as a fistful of feathers and the fact only makes Casey all the more concerned.

"You okay, Tigger?" he whispers. Carefully examining all the little girl's limbs, he determines that it's not anything life threatening.

The realization does little for his nerves though. He doesn't know what scares him more; the fact she might have been hurt or what Sarah would have done to him if Charlotte were.

Casey plants a kiss on her scraped knee. "How's that, Tigger?"

Charlotte shakes her head, sniffing back pitiful tears. "I'm Piglet!" she reminds. Despite everything, it's still the first thing she complains about.

"I think your Daddy was wrong about you being a Piglet. I think deep down you're a big ol' donkey like your Mommy."

Charlotte laughs. She has no idea what a donkey is but it sounds funny.

"Do you like popsicles?" he coaxed, wiping her tears with his palm.

Charlotte nodded solemnly and buried her face against the man's neck. When Casey felt the cold wet sensation against his skin, it tore him clean down the middle. A part of him boiled with rage and the other turned embarrassingly soft and mushy like the consistency of chicken and rice for babies.

"Love pops-stickles," she murmured.

Casey patted the babe on the back, rocking her slowly back and forth. "Okay, let's go get some then." They'd already exceeded her daily allowance for sugar times ten, but he didn't see the harm. He'll tell Sarah it was a rough day; she'd understand.

"We-ally?" she asked, looking so woeful she was more Eeyore than Piglet or Tigger.

"Really," Casey confirmed. His heart ached for her and he realized he'd do just about anything to see those cherry-stained lips break into a smile again.

"Did you hear that man say 'sorry', Tigger?"

Charlotte shook her head slowly. It was just the excuse he needed.

"I didn't think so either," he replied. "And that's not very polite now, is it?"

With the little girl safe in his arms, Casey approached the accused and pushed him as hard as he could into the banisters behind him.

The man flew into the metal bars and bounced back, landing flat on his face with a groan.

Charlotte giggled at the sight.

"Hey! What the hell!" the man complained.

Casey gave the man a swift swipe on the head. "No swearing!" he reminded as they headed for the exit.

Charlotte giggled again, all tears forgotten.

"That was fun, right?"

She nodded enthusiastically, her baby blues bright with mischief. "Again?" she asked.

Casey laughed nervously and it suddenly occurred to him this was another one of those things Sarah wouldn't approve of. It was certainly not something zoo security would approve of.

"So...how about that popsicle?"

_

Ellie doesn't ask about Charlotte's sniffles when they meet up again by the gorilla exhibit but she nods with approval when she sees the popsicle in Charlotte's sticky paws.

"Nothing like candy to make things better," she says with a smile.

Casey nods. He has no idea how Sarah manages to limit her daughter to just _one_ popsicle a day; how else were you supposed to subdue them?

Suddenly Ellie's pager goes off. She yanks it from her bag and growls.

"Shoot. I have to go. It's an emergency."

Will's astute hearing picks up on the words and he shakes his head. "No! You promised!" he whines, threatening to sit on the ground and throw a tantrum.

Ellie bends down to her son's level and holds his hand. "Sweetie, if Mommy doesn't go to the hospital, sick people are going to die."

It doesn't look like the boy understands though. The real tragedy is not that someone's been in an accident but that he won't be able to see the lions and tigers.

"I can take them both," Casey offers, in a lapse of goodwill.

"Really? Are you sure?" Ellie asks.

Casey cocked his head to one side. Why did everyone ask him that?

"Yeah, of course." Charlotte was starting to look drowsy. The sugar in six popsicles ought to be an adult's equivalent of five cups of coffee but it seems nothing will stave off the nap the little girl's avoided all afternoon.

"Lions and tigers!" Will reminds, jumping up and down.

Ellie looks hesitant but her son's over-eager demeanor makes it hard for her to decline. She ruffles the little boy's hair and thanks Casey.

"If you need anything, _anything,_ you call," she told him. "Seriously. Anything."

Casey wrinkled his brows. Sarah had said that too.

"Hey, I've handled one just fine. What's two?"


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: So I thought I'd post this as a peace offering. For those of you who have forgotten, Charlotte's set to perform in a preschool rendition of Lil Bo Peep; Sarah's just realized she has to make her daughter's costume by hand and Casey's about to realize what it's like to babysit for two Bartowski's. _

_

* * *

_**Chapter 9:**

"This is a nightmare."

It was the simple yet horrifying truth. Sarah was way over her head and she had no idea where to start.

"Just because you admit it doesn't mean it will just go away," Carol chimed.

The pair had snuck out during the last presentation of the day and bought wool and silk and needles and thread and whatever else they thought they'd need. Now all the bags and its contents were strewn over every available surface of the hotel room from the bed to the nightstand to the floor to the coffee table.

"This is a nightmare," Sarah repeated. After she'd retired from active duty, she thought she'd be living the easy life. Well, obviously her plans had hit a snag along the way.

"Um...so the instructions say we should cut the page out..." Carol said, studying the manual intently.

"Really?" Sarah wrinkled her brows. "Cut...right out of the book?"

"I think so."

"Well that can't be right." How would they ever use the book again if they did that? Or was it one of those one-time use books? The thought only made Sarah all the more perplexed. Did one-time use books exist?

Carol looked just as confused. They could decode the hardest ciphers; memorize the most inane series of numbers, but this?

"And then what?"

"Then we use the templates and cut out the fabric."

Sarah nodded. That actually sounded logical. And in her line of work, logic prevailed above all else.

"How many template pieces are there?"

Carol flipped through the book. "Um..." She kept flipping. "It says...eighty-five."

They looked to one another in horror.

"You're lucky I'm your friend," Carol warned as she tore a sheet of templates for Sarah to cut out.

Sarah scoffed. "Hey! I set you up with two very eligible single men." _One of whom requires threat of torture just to smile at someone. _"If that isn't friendship I don't know what is."

Carol smirked. "Well perhaps you could find me someone more like your husband. Or do you think Chuck would enjoy a little fun on the side?" She arched her brows and gave Sarah an example of her most seductive smile.

"I am holding scissors you know," Sarah warned flatly. _And I know how to use them._

Not about to be cowed into submission, Carol retorted with her own threat. "Want me to tell Charlotte's teacher who really made those cupcakes for the bakesale?" In a false voice all too reminiscent of Charlotte's teacher she added: "Oh Sarah, these are just divine! What's your secret ingredient? Say you'll make them for the fall raffle!"

Sarah bit down on her lip. She'd met her match.

Carol arched her brows, waiting for Sarah's retort. After a moment of silence, the two women burst out in laughter. Sarah had no choice but to concede to defeat.

"The things we do for love...huh?" her friend asked.

Sarah sighed as she snipped along the dotted line. "Pretty crazy, isn't it?" Their current predicament was all the proof she needed to know that she'd gone off the deep end. If she had known ten years ago where she'd be in the next decade, she probably would have committed herself to an asylum.

Carol raised a brow. "Trade you?" she offered with a whimsical smile.

Sarah shook her head. She'd worked damn hard for the tedium of suburbia with all its bakesales, PTA's and lambs.

"Not for all the money in the world."

* * *

"This is a nightmare."

Casey's been in service for so long hardly anything phased him but this? This wasn't what he'd been trained for. They were so _small_ and yet so fast; one wrong move and he'll crush them under his feet.

And nothing scared him more than neurotic parents. Especially the Sarah Walker types who could actually beat him to a pulp.

"Will!" Casey runs onto the playground pit and grabs the jungle-gym bar, trying to catch the little boy.

William flashes him a monkey-like grin and dashes away unscathed.

"Will!"

"Sir!" A matronly woman steps onto the playground pit. "This equipment is for children _only_. Please step off."

Casey glared at her. As if he actually wanted to go on this thing?

"William! Stop that!"

Casey runs to the other side but is trapped by series of brightly-colored tubes. From where he stands, he sees Will swinging on one of the ropes with his head arched back and mouth wide open in glee. In all rationality he should have fallen but by some defiance of gravity the little boy doesn't.

Charlotte looks at her cousin, intrigued. The swinging rope next to his is unoccupied and just calling her name. Standing up from her watching place, she toddles towards the ledge.

Casey's heart skips a beat. Sarah will skin him alive if anything happened to her little girl. Heck, he'll kill himself before that happened.

"No, Charlotte, don't!"

Casey realizes too late that he's uttered the magic word.

Charlotte grins and leans over to grab the rope. She has to. It's an unspoken rule between the big and the small.

Casey bolts onto the tiny equipment, forcing his body through one of the plastic tubes. Children around him begin to shriek and giggle, and from far off in the distance, the man hears the distinctive sounds of one little girl and boy in particular.

"I'm going to kill you, you little bugger," Casey mutters as he pushes his body through the contraption. He says it without realizing where he is and the nearest little boy looks at him in horror.

"Not you!" Casey exclaims in exasperation but the assurance is hardly appropriate when the man is proportionally the size of King Kong to him.

Children flee like birds scattering after a gunshot as Casey races through the jungle-gym, untangling himself from ropes and yanking his feet out of tight spaces.

By the time he gets to where Will and Charlotte were, the little boy is already on the other side of the playing grounds. Charlotte, however, is still sitting where Casey last saw her, looking as innocent as can be.

"You never had any intention of playing with the rope did you?" Casey pants.

Charlotte grins but she'd never tell. The man scooped her up and held her under his arm like a football. _One down, another to go. _

"Sir, do not make me call security!" the annoying woman from before hollered.

Casey rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this.

"The equipment is meant for children!" the woman reminded. And as an additional reminder, Casey thought he felt the plastic platform sink with his weight.

"Hey, Casey! Come get me!" William hollered from the other side.

Casey growled, sending Charlotte into a fit of giggles.

"Come get me! Come get me!" the little boy chanted wickedly and disappeared into one of the plastic tubes.

Casey groaned. _I'm getting way too old for this. _


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: This is for the poor readers I've tormented, certainly not for **mxpw** who hasn't shed a single tear for chuck and sarah. i will never understand how you can like little chuck so much when you're so anti-charah.  
_

_

* * *

_**Chapter 10: **

"Hello?"

Chuck could hear a disappointed grunt on the other line.

"Is Walker there?"

Emboldened by the good thousand some miles that separated them, Chuck couldn't resist. "No. I don't know who that is. Sorry." He was nearly about to hang up on the line when he heard Casey's angry voice snarl a series of death threats.

"I hope you're not using that language in front of our daughter," Chuck warned. Beside him on the hotel-room bed, Sarah frowned.

"Don't worry, Bartowski. I can't vouch for you but I'm certainly not an idiot. Now can I speak with _Sarah,_ please?"

Chuck smiled and looked over his shoulder at his wife. "Sarah? Sarah's indisposed at the moment."

Sarah glared at him but it was true. He was still cutting templates for her and she was busy trying to stitch sheets of fluff together.

Their hotel room was a mess and there still wasn't a costume to show for it.

"Damn it," Casey cursed. "When are you guys coming back?"

"Not until tomorrow..."

Sarah put down the mess of fluff in her hands and reached for the phone.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Chuck swatted her bandaged fingers away.

"Do you think you guys could come back tonight?" Casey asked.

"Tonight?" Chuck dropped the scissors and sat up straight. "But our flight isn't until tomorrow."

He could almost see Casey roll his eyes. "Yeah, genius, I know. Can you just high-tail it back here?"

Cupping the receiver with his hand, Chuck turned to Sarah. "Casey wants us back as soon as possible."

Sarah pushed Chuck to the side, scrambling for the phone. "Casey?" she demanded, her voice raised with urgency. "What's happened?"

"Nothing. Um, Charlotte will be over at Ellie's so you can pick her up in the morning or this evening if you can make it."

"Why?" Sarah felt her heart beat pick up. Beside her, Chuck tried to idle himself with the task he'd been assigned but it was obvious he was worried and anxious too. "What the hell did you do, John Casey?"

Chuck winced and on the other end, Casey hesitated.

"Out with it!" Sarah demanded, nearly jumping off the bed to flag down the first cab to the airport.

"I had a run in with the law."

Sarah gasped for air and felt her ribs threaten to cave in and crush her. Chuck dropped the sheets in his hand and rushed to hold her steady.

"Sarah, what's the matter? Sarah?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, choking back tears. "Were you robbed? A car accident? Were you..." She was too afraid to say it. "Was she hurt?"

Chuck looks at his wife in horror.

"No, not like that," Casey assured though Sarah still found it difficult to catch her breath. "I was trying to catch Will on the playground—"

"Casey, that equipment is for children. You can't go on it—"

"Yeah, I know that...now. So when you get back, do you think you could vouch for me and bail me outta here? Ellie isn't in a very forgiving mood right now."

"What..." Sarah wrinkled her brows. "What do you mean?"

Before Casey can answer her, his voice fades and there's static. Sarah presses the phone closer to her ear and waits for the line to clear.

"Ma'am?" It's a new voice on the phone now. "Ma'am, this is Officer Slatt here. We found your _brother_ terrorizing children at the LA zoo today."

Sarah puts a hand over her own mouth to keep from saying something profane. Of all the things Casey could have done...

"He was seen carrying off a little girl who he claims was his niece and trying to catch other children on the equipment. Security has also found footage of him throwing a man into the railings at the aquarium."

Sarah bit down on her hand. _Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Whatever you do—Do. Not. Laugh. _

This was serious.

"I see..." Sarah said slowly.

"Your brother is a deeply disturbed individual. We're going to keep him under supervision until he can be escorted back to his place of residence. I suggest you keep your children away from him in the future. I've seen people with his level of aggression and they will strike out again. Perhaps next time we will not be so lucky."

"I understand," Sarah said, in the gravest tone she could muster. "Thank you."

Hanging up the phone, she hands it back to Chuck.

"So what was all that about?"

Sarah looks at him plain-faced but she can't seem to hold it together and soon begins to tremble.

"Sarah? Honey?" Chuck reaches over and wraps her in his arms. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Sarah shakes and tears begin to stream down her cheeks but it's only when she finally catches her breath that he realizes she's trying not to laugh and failing miserably.

"You've lost it," Chuck declared. He doesn't know if it was the costume, the phone call or just the fact there was fluff _everywhere,_ but his wife had finally gone insane.

Sarah burst into another attack of the giggles. "No, Chuck!" she said as she wheezed for air. "This...is...the..." She couldn't keep a straight face and fell over laughing.

"Sarah...are you alright?" Chuck asked with a puzzled look.

"Chuck..." Sarah said, taking a deep breath. She staggered back to her feet and clasped her husband's hand, holding onto him for balance. "Thank you. Thank you."

Chuck squeezed her hand gently. "Sarah. You're not making any sense right now."

"I know, that's okay," Sarah said, struggling to hold herself together. "Honestly, I think this is one of the best vacations we've taken."

Chuck nodded slowly as if he completely agreed. "Right. Okay. I'm going to go back to the templates."

Sarah picked up a few handfuls of fluff, snickering as she did. "Seriously. We need to do this more often."


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: There wasn't much left so I didn't want to wait for a reason to post. Now I can work on 2C without being bogged down by fluff.  
_

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* * *

_**Chapter 11: **

The trio had just located their seats when the lights in the auditorium dimmed. Casey looked behind them at the other parents, scanning the crowd anxiously for one in particular.

"Is Ellie still mad?" he asked.

Sarah, sitting beside him, looked at him in disbelief. "She's missing her niece's first performance, what do you think?"

Casey grunted, turning to face the front again. "I wasn't going to _hurt_ him," he reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time. "I just wanted him to get off the playground equipment."

"I believe your exact words were: _When I get my hands on you, I'm going to skin you alive—"_

"I was kidding!" Casey said. "Kid can't take a joke."

Sarah looked at him, shaking her head. "The _kid_ can't even tie his shoelaces, Casey. Stop trying to justify what you did, you were _arrested_. The law isn't on your side." After a moment to collect her thoughts she added: "And neither are we."

Chuck stared straight ahead, unwilling to put himself between the two.

"I thought after the favour we were even," Casey grumbled.

Sarah grumped. Had she said that? "Fine." Twisting her lip, she realized she was pretty grateful for his help. "Thanks for pulling through."

Casey shrugged. "I figured the techs owed me a favour or two. Besides..." he drawled with a wink. "How could I let my little girl down?"

"Actually, Casey," Chuck interrupted, leaning forwards in his seat to see past Sarah. "She's _my_ little girl."

Casey smirked. "What? Walker never told you about our thing on the side?"

Chuck blanched but before he could say a word, Sarah was already working on the answer.

She punched Casey in the arm—hard, and yanked his tie down, threatening to strangle him. "I don't care if we are in an auditorium full of children, I _will_ kill you John Casey if you so much as insinuate one more word—"

Casey laughed despite the pain that was being inflicted on him. "You deserve it for all the crap you said about me and St. Clair."

Chuck rolled his eyes. He tugged Sarah away from Casey before they were both arrested for misconduct.

"_Shh..._the play's starting."

_

It's a school production with toddlers and cheap cardboard cutouts but the three in the audience couldn't have been more enthralled.

"Oh my God, there she is!" Sarah whispered, excitedly squeezing her husband's hand.

Charlotte toddled onto the stage with a slew of other toddlers in pseudo-lambskin but she was by far the most precious lamb. No bias there, naturally. It was a combination of her size and the costume itself, but the little girl epitomized the innocence and sweetness of the nursery tale.

Charlotte gave a little half-wave for the audience, and then toddled behind the other lambs to hide from the spot-light.

"That's a really nice costume, Sarah," Chuck whispered, pecking her on the cheek.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him but she was too excited to say anything. The costume was hand-made, Casey had assured, just not by her mother. The disaster of Sarah's good intentions had already been put somewhere where it would never again see the light of day.

Charlotte didn't speak a word but the three sitting in the third row of the auditorium lapped it up all the same. If there was an award for standing still and not making a sound, she'd win hands down. Everything went along without a glitch.

Then, ten minutes into the play, one of the toddlers tripped over his costume and fell flat on his face. Padded by layers of wool, it didn't even look like he had _actually_ hit the ground but everyone on stage froze. The toddlers looked to one another, looking as lost and misguided as a flock of actual sheep.

Then Charlotte, the model lamb, spoke up.

"Aw...damn it." The pronunciation was spot on and in the suddenly silent auditorium, her little voice was ample to carry across the room.

Chuck choked and Sarah turned to Casey with a look that spoke full of ill intentions.

Charlotte realized her mistake and looked to her uncle for help.

"Aw crap," they both said in unison.

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That's all folks, it's been fun! Thanks for reading!


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